FAIR Applauds Passage of the Laken Riley Act

The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in response to final passage of the Laken Riley Act by Congress.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) applauds Congress for its swift action in passing the Laken Riley Act with bipartisan support. Fittingly, final passage by the House of Representatives comes eleven months to the day after the Georgia nursing student was brutally murdered by a criminal illegal alien who had been allowed to enter our country and remained at large even after being charged with serious offenses in New York City.

"The Laken Riley Act will be one of the first pieces of legislation President Trump signs into law in his new administration. In his inaugural address, the president spoke of the need to restore common sense to government, and enacting legislation that requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain more criminal aliens certainly fits that description.

"It is especially heartening that the bill that emerged from the Senate Monday and passed today in the House is stronger than the original version. Led by Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.), that chamber, by a 75-24 margin, added key provisions from Sarah's Law to the final bill. The amendment is named for Sarah Root, another promising young woman who was killed in 2016 by an illegal alien drunk driver who was released from federal custody and allowed to run free. This added provision requires DHS to issue detainers and take into custody aliens who are charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admit to having committed crimes that resulted in death or serious bodily injury.

"Along with the executive orders signed by President Trump on his first day in office, the bipartisan support for the Laken Riley Act gives Americans hope that enactment of other commonsense border and immigration enforcement measures, that truly protect the interest and security of the American people, can be achieved in the 119^th Congress."

Contact: Joey Chester, [email protected] or 202-740-7355

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)